Contraception Reviews

Vaginal ring vs Hormonal IUD

Vaginal ring

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Hormonal IUD

Want to switch birth control?

Overview

Rated 3.2

13 reviews

3 weekly

Frequency

91% - 99+%

Effectiveness

Increased

Blood clot risk

None

Effect on fertility

Rated 3.7

53 reviews

3 - 8 years

Frequency

Over 99%

Effectiveness

None

Blood clot risk

None

Effect on fertility

Vaginal ring ingredients

Main hormones in Vaginal ring

progestin


Hormonal IUD ingredients

Main hormones in Hormonal IUD

progestin

What Lowdown reviewers say

Mood

46% no impact on mood

Bleeds

31% regular periods

Sex drive

54% lost sex drive

Weight

54% gained weight

Skin

31% improved skin

Cycle return

40% in 1 month

Mood

42% no impact on mood

Bleeds

47% stopped periods

Sex drive

45% no impact

Weight

49% no impact

Skin

40% no impact on skin

Cycle return

50% in 1 month

Benefits: What this birth control can help with

Acne or bad skin

Heavy periods

PMS and PMDD

PCOS symptoms

Period pain

Adenomyosis

Endometriosis

Heavy periods

Menopause

Period pain

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Check out our latest reviews

Real life reviews from people like you

Vaginal ring reviews

13 reviews

Vaginal ring  
Used for 1 - 3 mo
21 years old
🇺🇸 US
  •  2 weeks ago

NuvaRing  

Easy, lacks significant side effects (for me), has worked thus far, BUT I think my period is heavier and the body cramps are worse than normal

Read more

Worse skin

0 helpful

0 comments

Vaginal ring  
Used for 3 - 6 mo
31 years old
🇺🇸 US
  •  1 month ago

NuvaRing  

I love being able to control when I can start my period but my low to no sex drive isn’t for me. My cramping is just as bad (if not worse) than before going on it (the whole reason my gyn prescribed it) but I also now have more clots and dark blood on my period. I can tell my hormones are more regulated though and that’s been good for me mental health most days.


Improved skin

2 more effects

0 helpful

0 comments

Vaginal ring  
Used for 8+ yr
42 years old
🇺🇸 US
  •  1 month ago

NuvaRing  

I used nuva ring for 10+ years and had no side effects I left it in for 1 month removed it and put in a new ring and never had a period.


Top side effects not reported

0 helpful

0 comments

Vaginal ring  
Used for 1 - 3 mo
21 years old
🇺🇸 US
  •  2 weeks ago

NuvaRing  

Easy, lacks significant side effects (for me), has worked thus far, BUT I think my period is heavier and the body cramps are worse than normal


Worse skin

0 helpful

0 comments

Vaginal ring  
Used for 3 - 6 mo
31 years old
🇺🇸 US
  •  1 month ago

NuvaRing  

I love being able to control when I can start my period but my low to no sex drive isn’t for me. My cramping is just as bad (if not worse) than before going on it (the whole reason my gyn prescribed it) but I also now have more clots and dark blood on my period. I can tell my hormones are more regulated though and that’s been good for me mental health most days.


Improved skin

2 more effects

0 helpful

0 comments

Vaginal ring  
Used for 8+ yr
42 years old
🇺🇸 US
  •  1 month ago

NuvaRing  

I used nuva ring for 10+ years and had no side effects I left it in for 1 month removed it and put in a new ring and never had a period.


Top side effects not reported

0 helpful

0 comments


Hormonal IUD reviews

53 reviews

Hormonal IUD  
Used for 6 - 12 mo
31 years old
🇺🇸 US
  •  1 week ago

Mirena IUD  

Best decision ever made!


Top side effects not reported

0 helpful

0 comments

Hormonal IUD  
Used for 18 mo - 3 yr
21 years old
🇺🇸 US
  •  2 weeks ago

Kyleena IUD  

I got the Kyleena prescribed off-label to me after suffering from ridiculously heavy periods in my teens. I used to bleed 200mls+ on some periods and even Tranexamic acid didn’t help. This IUD has been an absolute life-saver and my periods are so much lighter. I will admit I have experienced some side effects - I used to have clear skin 95% of the time, however since the IUD I permanently have 1 or 2 pimples around my jawline which can be quite annoying. My periods are often very long now (7-11 days) despite being light which also gets frustrating. Those are the two main side effects I’ve experienced, but overall it’s been a positive experience.


Worse skin

0 helpful

0 comments

Hormonal IUD  
Used for 18 mo - 3 yr
21 years old
🇺🇸 US
  •  2 weeks ago

Kyleena IUD  

I got the Kyleena prescribed off-label for my heavy menstrual bleeding. I used to bleed sometimes over 200ml per period, even Tranexamic acid didn’t help. This IUD has been a life saver - my periods are so much lighter. Overall it’s been a positive experience. I won’t pretend it doesn’t have other side effects though. My periods are now way longer than they used to be (7-11 days) although not heavy at all. I also had clear skin 95% of the time prior to the IUD but now I permanently have one or two pimples around my jawline which can be pretty annoying.


Worse skin

0 helpful

0 comments

Hormonal IUD  
Used for 6 - 12 mo
31 years old
🇺🇸 US
  •  1 week ago

Mirena IUD  

Best decision ever made!


Top side effects not reported

0 helpful

0 comments

Hormonal IUD  
Used for 18 mo - 3 yr
21 years old
🇺🇸 US
  •  2 weeks ago

Kyleena IUD  

I got the Kyleena prescribed off-label to me after suffering from ridiculously heavy periods in my teens. I used to bleed 200mls+ on some periods and even Tranexamic acid didn’t help. This IUD has been an absolute life-saver and my periods are so much lighter. I will admit I have experienced some side effects - I used to have clear skin 95% of the time, however since the IUD I permanently have 1 or 2 pimples around my jawline which can be quite annoying. My periods are often very long now (7-11 days) despite being light which also gets frustrating. Those are the two main side effects I’ve experienced, but overall it’s been a positive experience.


Worse skin

0 helpful

0 comments

Hormonal IUD  
Used for 18 mo - 3 yr
21 years old
🇺🇸 US
  •  2 weeks ago

Kyleena IUD  

I got the Kyleena prescribed off-label for my heavy menstrual bleeding. I used to bleed sometimes over 200ml per period, even Tranexamic acid didn’t help. This IUD has been a life saver - my periods are so much lighter. Overall it’s been a positive experience. I won’t pretend it doesn’t have other side effects though. My periods are now way longer than they used to be (7-11 days) although not heavy at all. I also had clear skin 95% of the time prior to the IUD but now I permanently have one or two pimples around my jawline which can be pretty annoying.


Worse skin

0 helpful

0 comments

Hormonal IUD  
Used for 3 - 6 mo
20 years old
🇺🇸 US
  •  2 weeks ago

Mirena IUD  

It actually stabilized my mood. I genuinely have no complaints.


Very positive mood

0 helpful

0 comments

Hormonal IUD  
Used for 5 - 8 yr
Lowdown user
🇺🇸 US
  •  3 weeks ago

Mirena IUD  

Irregular cycles. Mood swings, fatigue, brain fog and headaches seem to correlate to menstrual cycle. Effective birth control but still unsure if symptoms are related to Mirena or independent migraine, thyroid or other issues.


Somewhat negative mood

1 more effect

0 helpful

0 comments

Hormonal IUD  
Used for 6 - 12 mo
38 years old
🇺🇸 US
  •  3 weeks ago

Kyleena IUD  

I’m pretty pleased for the most part. It’s my 2nd IUD, first hormonal one. My periods are pretty much gone and I love that. They were pretty bad before. The downside is that my scalp sweats PROFUSELY with very little physical exertion and my face is super oily. So much so that I have several pimples along and into my hairline. I’m very upset about that. I’m on month 7 and the pimples just started, but the sweating and oil started almost right away.


Worse skin

1 more effect

0 helpful

0 comments

Hormonal IUD  
Used for 18 mo - 3 yr
22 years old
🇺🇸 US
  •  3 weeks ago

Mirena IUD  


Decreased sex drive

0 helpful

0 comments

Hormonal IUD  
Used for 3 - 6 mo
20 years old
🇺🇸 US
  •  31st Mar 25

Mirena IUD  

I’ve had it for 6 months and I have my period twice a month and the pain is pretty consistent day to day.


Worse skin

2 more effects

0 helpful

0 comments

Hormonal IUD  
Used for 5 - 8 yr
27 years old
🇺🇸 US
  •  25th Mar 25

Mirena IUD  

My first IUD placement (Mirena) was without numbing shots, and it really was quite painful. The immediate pain lasted only a few seconds, but I had hot flashes for a few minutes afterwards. The next week, I got the heaviest period of my life, followed by about 4 months of light bleeding. After that, I lost my period completely for about 3 years, and then very light and irregular periods until I had it replaced. My period used to cause painful acne and very frustrating mood swings, which I was quite happy to go without. I did have some discomfort during sex, but only with larger partners and only in certain positions. My second IUD was the Kyleena. I did have numbing shots for the placement, and it was much more comfortable - similar to getting a pap smear. My period has gone away again, and I haven't noticed any pain during sex (Kyleena is a little smaller). My only real concern about the IUD is that if I were to become pregnant while the IUD is in place, it is very likely to be ectopic. I do take a pregnancy test every couple of months, so if it does happen I can get the care I need. I live in a state with very good and safe abortion care, so I would be able to get help right away, but it's still something to keep in mind. All that being said, I would 100% recommend an IUD. I have been nearly period-free since 2018, which is well worth the pain of insertion. I really appreciate being able to avoid the acne, pain, and mood swings I used to get with my period, and I really really appreciate that I have an incredibly effective form of birth control that I only have to think about once every 8 years. I love my IUD so much, and I am probably going to use IUDs as my primary form of birth control for the rest of my life.


Very positive mood

1 more effect

0 helpful

0 comments

Hormonal IUD  
Used for 12 - 18 mo
17 years old
🇺🇸 US
  •  28th Feb 25

Mirena IUD  

If you are considering the hormonal IUD route, I highly encourage you to read this! I primarily chose to switch over to the Mirena due to the weight gain I experienced while on the pill. To preface, I never had any issues with vaginal dryness prior to the switch. Following the insertion, I have been almost completely unable to get wet. As I stated before, this was never a problem for me regardless of arousal. It has been over a year, and without using an external lubricant, I physically cannot have sex due to the severity of this issue. It can be humiliating if the person i’m getting with isn’t aware of the causation. Just wanted to make it known, because it’s impacted my life pretty significantly.


Somewhat positive mood

0 helpful

0 comments

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